SPINAL CORD

SPINAL CORD
❑ Spinal cord lies loosely in the vertebral canal of vertebral column.

❑ It extends from foramen magnum where it is continuous with medulla oblongata,

above and up to the lower border of first lumbar vertebra below.

❑ Spinal cord is covered by sheaths called meninges, which are membranous in nature.

❑ Meninges are dura mater, pia mater and arachnoid mater.

❑ Meninges are responsible for protection and nourishment of the nervous tissues.
❑ The spinal cord is also protected by a cushion of

fat and connective tissue located in the epidural

space, a space between the dura mater and the
wall of the vertebral canal.

❑ Spinal cord is cylindrical in shape.

❑ Length of the spinal cord is about 45 cm in males

and about 43 cm in females.
❑ Internal structure

❖ Taking cross-section, the spinal cord presents inner grey matter and outer white matter.

➢ Grey matter:

❖ It is constituted by the nerve cell bodies, dendrites and parts of axons.

❖ It is placed centrally in the form of wings of the butterfly and it resembles the letter ‘H’.

❖ Exactly in the center of grey matter, there is a canal called the spinal canal.

❖ Grey commissure is the part of the grey matter which connects the two (right and left)
symmetrical halves of spinal grey matter across the midline. It is traversed by the spinal canal.

❖ Part of the gray matter anterior to spinal canal is called the anterior gray commissure and part
of gray matter posterior to the central canal is called posterior gray commissure.
❖ The spinal grey matter exhibits following parts:

 Dorsal horn: It refers to the posterior horn-like projection of the H-shaped grey matter in
each lateral half of the cord. The dorsal horn neurons of spinal grey matter are involved in
sensory functions.

 Ventral horn: It refers to the anterior projection of the grey matter in each lateral half of
the cord. The ventral horn neurons of spinal grey matter are involved in motor functions and
send motor nerve fibres to the muscles and other effector organs.

 Lateral horn: It refers to small lateral projection between the ventral and dorsal grey
columns present in the thoracic segments and first two lumbar segments only. The lateral
horn cells of spinal grey matter extend from T1 to L2 segments and from S2 to S4 segments of
the spinal cord.
➢ White matter

❖ White matter of spinal cord surrounds the gray matter.

❖ It is formed by the bundles of both myelinated and nonmyelinated fibers, but

predominantly the myelinated fibers.

❖ Anterior median fissure and posterior median septum divide the entire mass of white matter
into two lateral halves.

❖ The anterior median fissure is a wide groove on the anterior side.

❖ The posterior median sulcus is a narrow furrow on the posterior side.

❖ Each half of the white matter is divided by the fibers of anterior and posterior nerve roots
into three white columns or funiculi:

 Anterior funiculus: It lies between the anterior median fissure on one side and anterior
nerve root and anterior gray horn on the other side.

 Lateral funiculus: It is present between the anterior nerve root and anterior gray horn on
one side and posterior nerve root and posterior gray horn on the other side.

 Posterior funiculus: It is situated between the posterior nerve root and posterior gray
horn on one side and posterior median septum on the other side.
❑ Nerve Root

❖ Each spinal nerve is formed by an anterior (ventral) root and a posterior (dorsal) root.

❖ Both the roots on either side leave the spinal cord.

❖ Dorsal nerve root:

❖ It contain only sensory axons, which conduct nerve impulses from sensory receptors in the skin,
muscles, and internal organs into the central nervous system.

❖ Each dorsal nerve root is marked by a swelling called dorsal nerve root ganglion or spinal
ganglion which contains the cell bodies of sensory neurons.

❖ All sensory fibres reach the spinal cord through dorsal nerve roots.
 Ventral nerve root:

❖ The ventral nerve root is composed of axons of motor neurons present in the ventral grey
horn.

❖ The ventral root also contains the autonomic fibres originating from the lateral horn of the
spinal grey matter.
❑ Spinal segments

❖ Spinal cord consist of 31 spinal segments

❖ The 31 segments of spinal cord correspond symmetrically to 31 spinal nerves and are
named as:

▪ 8 Cervical segments give attachment to 8 cervical nerves,

▪ 12 Thoracic segments give attachment to 12 thoracic nerves,

▪ 5 Lumbar segments give attachment to 5 lumbar nerves,

▪ 5 Sacral segments give attachment to 5 sacral nerves

▪ 1 Coccygeal segment gives attachment to 1 coccygeal nerve.

 Functions of Spinal cord
❖ It connects a large part of the peripheral nervous system to the brain.

❖ Information's reaching the spinal cord through sensory neurons is transmitted up to

the brain.

❖ Signals arising in the motor areas of the brain travel back down the cord and leave in
the motor areas.

❖ It act as a minor coordinating center responsible for some simple reflexes like the
stretch and withdrawal reflex.
THANK YOU !